Resources
A variety of helpful tools and educational resources for those living with COPD.
Want to download our educational materials?
For more information about COPD and severe emphysema, download our information pack by completing the form.
The package includes the following brochures:
The Zephyr® Valve Brochure:
Discover a treatment option for severe emphysema
The Doctors' Discussion Guide:
Information brochure for your next visit to the doctor
Zephyr Valve Treatment Centres | UK
A lung health check is designed to detect lung cancer earlier, when it is more treatable. But these scans can also uncover other important conditions, such as severe COPD/emphysema.
Understanding Your Lung Health Check
A lung health check is designed to detect lung cancer earlier, when it is more treatable. But these scans can also uncover other important conditions, such as severe COPD/emphysema.1,2
If you have been told your scan shows signs of these conditions, it’s natural to feel uncertain. But this information gives you a valuable opportunity to take control of your health and discuss next steps with your GP.
Click here for more information on the lung health check.
1. https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/lung-cancer-screening/
[Last accessed August 2025]
2. https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/symptoms-tests-treatments/tests/lung-health-checks
[Last accessed August 2025]
What is Severe Emphysema?
Severe emphysema is a form of COPD where air sacs in the lungs become damaged, making it harder to breathe. Common symptoms include breathlessness, persistent wheezing and a persistent chesty cough with phlegm.
The important thing to know is treatment options are available. These may include:
- Smoking cessation
- Inhalers and tablets to help make breathing easier
- Pulmonary rehabilitation - a specialised programme of exercise and education
- Minimally invasive treatment options, such as the Zephyr® Valve, where small valves are placed in your lung to help you breathe more easily3
Your GP can guide you through what’s right for your condition.
Download your Doctor’s Discussion Guide and start the conversation.
Getting the right care could mean less breathlessness, more activity, and a better quality of life.
Find a Zephyr® Valve Center1. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd/
[Last accessed August 2025]
2. https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/copd-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/emphysema
[Last accessed August 2025]
3. Criner G. et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018; 198 (9):1151–1164.
Why Early Action Matters?
Acting early can make a real difference in how emphysema affects your daily life. With the right care and support, many patients experience:1
- Better control of breathlessness
- Increased energy levels
- Improved quality of life and independence
That’s why it’s important to follow up with your GP after your Lung Health Check results. They can help confirm your diagnosis and guide you toward the most appropriate treatments.
Join the COPD Emphysema Help group to connect with others who understand what you’re going through, share experiences, and discover resources to help you better manage your condition.
Join our COPD Emphysema Help Facebook Page
How You Can Take Control
Discovering severe emphysema during your lung health check may feel unexpected, but it also offers an important opportunity to take action early, get the right care, and improve your future health.
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Information about COPD
In this collection of COPD articles you will find information, tips, and support aimed towards living with and managing your COPD symptoms.
We understand that COPD can have a major impact on your daily life, which is why we are committed to helping you understand the disease, find best ways to manage it, and seek a better quality of life.
A patient’s guide to COPD diagnosis
Part 1: Pulmonary Rehabilitation: What Is It?
Part 2: Pulmonary Rehabilitation: What Is It? (FAQs)
How to manage a COPD flare-up
COPD Caregiving: Caring for the Patient and Yourself
A COPD Diet: Improving Symptoms Through What You Eat
Smoking and COPD
Want to learn more?
Explore the video library with assets that explain
how severe COPD/emphysema impacts you.
Hear from COPD physicians and pulmonologists how
Zephyr® Endobronchial Valves work.
Тhis video presents how severe COPD/emphysema impacts you and what Lung Volume Reduction (LVR) procedure options exist.
This video provides an introduction to the Zephyr Endobronchial Valves procedure for severe COPD/emphysema and may help you decide if this option is right for you.
This video explains what you can expect before, during, and after the Zephyr Endobronchial Valves procedure to help you understand if this may be right for you.
This video explains what collateral ventilation is.
During the ‘Lungs Matter’ programme COPD physicians explain how the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve treatment can help patients with severe COPD/emphysema breathe easier.
Learning About Zephyr® Valves
What are Zephyr Valves?
The Zephyr Valve Treatment is a minimally invasive treatment for people with severe COPD/emphysema. The Zephyr Valves are an implant designed to fit in the airways of the lungs. The valves are placed in selected airways during a bronchoscopy procedure (no incisions or cutting required) and are an alternative to the more invasive traditional lung volume reduction surgery.
How do Zephyr Valves work?
If you have severe COPD/emphysema you may struggle to catch your breath while doing everyday tasks. This is because the damaged parts of your lungs have lost their ability to release trapped air and have become overinflated. Zephyr Valves are tiny, one-way valves that allow the trapped air to be exhaled from the lungs and prevent more air from becoming trapped there. This helps patients breathe better and do more.
Zephyr Valves Evaluation
Who may be a candidate?
Generally, candidates who should be evaluated for Zephyr Valve Treatment are patients who:
- Have a confirmed diagnosis of COPD or emphysema
- Have to stop to catch their breath often, even with taking their medication as directed
- Have reduced lung function (FEV1≤50% predicted)
These are general criteria but only a Zephyr Valve trained physician can determine if you are a candidate. There is an evaluation process to determine if you are a candidate for the treatment. Find a treating center near you.
How do I schedule an appointment to be evaluated?
Find a treating center near you, and then call and schedule an appointment.
What tests do I need to see if I am eligible?
A simple set of tests are required to determine if you might be a good candidate for the treatment. These include pulmonary function testing (PFTs), a CT scan, ABG (a blood test), and a 6-minute walk test. Additional tests may include an echocardiogram and a perfusion scan.
Do I need to quite smoking?
Yes, you will need to quit smoking at least 4 months prior to receiving the Zephyr Valve Treatment and must refrain from smoking after the procedure.
Is there an age limit?
The procedure is for adult patients (18 years and older). A Zephyr Valve trained physician will determine if you are a candidate but there is no strict upper age limit.
Who shouldn’t have the Zephyr Valve Treatment?
Patients should not have this treatment if they do not meet certain criteria. You will need to go through a number of tests to see if you qualify. Some of the most common reasons why patients do not qualify are:
- Unable to have a bronchoscopic procedure.
- Have an active lung infection.
- Have an allergy to nitinol, nickel, titanium, or silicone.
- Have not stopped smoking.
- Have an air pocket (bullae) that is greater than 1/3 of the size of the lung.
- Have passages or channels in their lungs that bypass the normal airways (collateral ventilation).
- Primary symptoms are a result of another non-COPD/emphysema health condition.
Availability
Is this treatment available on the NHS?
Endobronchial valves, such as Zephyr Valves, are recommended by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and available on the NHS.
Do you have to be a private patient?
You don’t need to be a private patient. Zephyr Valve treatment is available on the NHS. Please speak to your doctor.
How much does the treatment cost, if paid privately?
Private clinics and hospitals set their own costs for treatment, which can depend on a few variables. These treatment centres may accept insurance and self-pay patients. You will need to contact the individual treatment centres to discover their range of costs. Zephyr Valve treatment is also available on the NHS.
Getting Zephy Valves
What does the Zephyr Valve procedure entail?
Zephyr Valves are placed during a procedure that does not require any cutting or incisions.
Step 1 – The doctor will give the patient medicine to make them sleepy.
Step 2 – A small tube with a camera, called a bronchoscope, will be inserted into your lungs through your nose or mouth.
Step 3 – During the procedure your doctor will place on average 4 Zephyr Valves in the airways. The number of valves placed will depend on the individual anatomy of the patient’s airways and physician discretion.
Step 4 – You will stay in the hospital for a minimum of 3 nights. Some patients who experience a complication may be required to stay longer.
Step 5 – After the procedure, you will continue to use the medicines that your doctor has prescribed for your condition.
How long does the procedure take?
The procedure is usually complete in about an hour.
What is the recovery time?
Following Zephyr Valve treatment, patients are required to stay in the hospital for 3 nights to allow for careful observation. In most cases, patients are able to go home after 3 nights if there are no complications. Some patients may end up staying longer than 3 nights if they develop a pneumothorax (tear in the lung), a known side effect of this treatment, or another complication. Most patients are able resume normal activities within a couple of weeks.
Life with Zephyr Valves
What benefits have people experienced?
In 4 randomized, controlled clinical trials, Zephyr Valves have been proven to:¹,⁷⁻⁹
- Improve Lung Function
- Improve Exercise Capacity
- Improve Quality of Life
How many people have received the procedure?
Over 40,000 people globally have received this treatment.
Will I still have to take my regular medications after the procedure?
Yes, you will likely continue to take your medications as prescribed by your doctor for your condition.
Other FAQs
What is Emphysema?
Emphysema is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. In severe emphysema, parts of the lungs are damaged, which traps air in the lungs (called hyperinflation of the lungs). This causes the diseased parts of the lung to get bigger and put pressure on the healthy parts of the lungs and diaphragm.
When this happens, it makes it difficult to breath properly and take deep breaths. This constant shortness of breath can make it difficult to do everyday activities and to enjoy many aspects of life without stopping for air, taking a break, or getting help.
Unfortunately, emphysema cannot be cured, but the Zephyr Valve helps patients breathe easier, enjoy more, and have a better quality of life¹ while living with severe emphysema.
What is collateral ventilation?
Collateral ventilation happens when the fissure structure between lobes is not solid and air can pass through from one lobe to another. It’s as if the fissures are walls and there is a window that shouldn’t be there. The window allows air to pass through from one lobe to another adjacent lobe.
Will I be able to use less, or come off oxygen?
In our study for FDA approval of the Zephyr Valve, of the patients who were on supplemental oxygen, more patients treated with the Zephyr Valves used less oxygen compared to untreated patients (15.7% vs. 6.9%, respectively) at one year. At the same time more untreated patients (22.4%) compared to the Zephyr Valve treated patients (11.3%) reported increased oxygen use.
1.Kemp, SV, Slebos, DJ, Kirk, A, Kornaszewska, M, Carron, K, Ek, L & Briault, A. A multicenter randomized controlled trial of Zephyr endobronchial valve treatment in heterogeneous emphysema (TRANSFORM). Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2017; 196(12), 1535-1543.
2.Valipour, A, Slebos, DJ, Herth, F, Darwiche, K, Wagner, M, Ficker, JH, & Eberhardt, R. Endobronchial valve therapy in patients with homogeneous emphysema. Results from the IMPACT study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2016; 194(9), 1073-1082, and data on file at Pulmonx.
3.Klooster, K, Hartman, JE, ten Hacken, NH, Slebos, DJ. One-year follow-up after endobronchial valve treatment in patients with emphysema without collateral ventilation treated in the STELVIO trial. Respir, 2017; 93(2), 112-121.